Abstract

Introduction

More than 3.5 million women and children under five die each year in poor countries
due to underlying undernutrition. Many of these are associated with concomitant micronutrient
deficiencies. In the last decade point of use or home fortification has emerged to
tackle the widespread micronutrient deficiencies. We in this review have estimated
the effect of Micronutrient Powders (MNPs) on the health outcomes of women and children.

Methods

We systematically reviewed literature published up to November 2012 to identify studies
describing the effectiveness of MNPs. We used a standardized abstraction and grading
format to estimate the effect of MNPs by applying the standard Child Health Epidemiology
Reference Group (CHERG) rules.

Conclusion

Our analysis of the effect of MNPs in children suggests benefit in improving anemia
and hemoglobin however the lack of impact on growth and evidence of increased diarrhea
requires careful consideration before recommending the intervention for implementing
at scale.